i am 85 years old, I no longer need my prostate gland, if it is discovered to have cancer, what wrong with having it removed ?

There are different kinds of prostate cancer and unless it's an aggressive kind the progression is usually slow; by the time the cancer becomes a noticeable health problem you could be 95 or more years old. The operation itself comes with significant risks and there is a long recovery time, with incontinence and erectile dysfunction being quite common - and the older you are the more likely those will be.

I would not personally recommend it - and I have had it done; if I'd been 70 years old at the time instead of 60 my Urologist would have recommended leaving it in place and treating symptoms as they arise. But this is a very serious decision and I would be listening to trusted specialist health practitioners ahead of internet opinion - even those websites where people who have gone through these medical problem discuss their experiences.

i am 85 years old, I no longer need my prostate gland, if it is discovered to have cancer, what wrong with having it removed ?

At 85 I don't think there's an urgency for removal. I had the choice last year between removal or radiation but only because my Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) reading was above the 4.0 threshold and a subsequent biopsy proved cancer was present. Unfortunately my Gleason score, a rating given after type of cancer cells found, was 7 and I was left with the two choices. So as long as you don't feel the need to father more children or if you regularly get the PSA checked and it's safe then why take it out?

On one of my visits to cancer clinic there was an 89 year old man who just received the news his PSA count was very, very high. I asked him if he was going to do anything about it and he calmly answered NO. i have to believe he realized he'd been living with it for so long and when combined with his longevity, he decided he'd lived a good life and see where it takes him.

All that belongs to human understanding, in this deep ignorance and obscurity, is to be skeptical, or at least cautious; and not to admit of any hypothesis, whatsoever; much less, of any which is supported by no appearance of probability...Hume

Information always passed on to me is that no prostate cancer treatment is a sure guarantee. This includes gland removal. I'm 11 years a survivor and I still have the gland. I did have radiation therapy in 2011. PSA was checked 2 days ago (2.67). Actually a bit higher than it should be after treatment, but last year it was 2.99.

Just had my 9 month post radiation PSA reading and couldn't believe it was down to 1.5. Six months ago it was 3.1. In all the years I was tested prior to last year's spike to 9.0 I was never below 2. If I can parlay that into a good long life I'll be thrilled.

All that belongs to human understanding, in this deep ignorance and obscurity, is to be skeptical, or at least cautious; and not to admit of any hypothesis, whatsoever; much less, of any which is supported by no appearance of probability...Hume

Just had my 9 month post radiation PSA reading and couldn't believe it was down to 1.5. Six months ago it was 3.1. In all the years I was tested prior to last year's spike to 9.0 I was never below 2. If I can parlay that into a good long life I'll be thrilled.

Just had my 9 month post radiation PSA reading and couldn't believe it was down to 1.5. Six months ago it was 3.1. In all the years I was tested prior to last year's spike to 9.0 I was never below 2. If I can parlay that into a good long life I'll be thrilled.

Well done you.I knew you didn't have it in you

Thanks geo but like Ox said, there are no guarantees. My next check is in April and after that it's every 6 months. After my last radiation session in October I asked the doc if it was ok to exercise. She said it was highly recommended, so that's what I did. Don't know if it helps physical recovery or puts the patient in the right frame of mind but I took it to heart, ran nearly every day up until beginning of June when I shut it down for summer. I needed a break. Still I can't complain about the results.

I too was offered removal surgery but after talking to many people I concluded it wasn't for me. Amazing how many men have been through this and I imagine it's the same for women and breast cancer. Radiation also has its side effects and I was unfortunate to experience one of the worst, an inflamed urethra. Can't describe the pain but they have drugs for that as well as for other things. Still 4 days of massive discomfort while trying to urinate is enough to learn what your pain threshold is. But I made it through and my thoughts are with all the people similarly afflicted that I met in the waiting room everyday for 20 sessions. Many of them worse off than I.

All that belongs to human understanding, in this deep ignorance and obscurity, is to be skeptical, or at least cautious; and not to admit of any hypothesis, whatsoever; much less, of any which is supported by no appearance of probability...Hume

I had my prostrate removed ten years ago, and my PSA tests are still showing zero, so I figure I beat it. The side effects I have experienced are, fortunately, minor. Bothersome, but minor.
Sadly, most men in their eighties will have prostrate cancer. It's just a nasty thing that Mother Nature does to us.
Prostrate cancer is normally slow growing. Your primary concern is when the cancer spreads to other organs.
If I was you, I would just monitor the PSA results, and if it starts climbing rapidly, consider removal before it gets too high.

That's what they do, monitor PSA every 6 months. My next check is April and it marks 18 months since radiation. After that it's every 6 months. I was given a choice, remove or radiate, and my choice was made after talking to people who did one or the other. You're the first guy who told me the cancer never returned after removal.. Everyone I talked to who had prostate removed eventually received radiation because surgeon didn't get it all. I figured the odds looked good that I was going to need radiation regardless.

All that belongs to human understanding, in this deep ignorance and obscurity, is to be skeptical, or at least cautious; and not to admit of any hypothesis, whatsoever; much less, of any which is supported by no appearance of probability...Hume